How To Cook A Ham

A baked ham is a classic holiday centerpiece, no matter the time of year or occasion. If you've never made one before, then good news—my recipe will guide you through how to make the best ham of your life. It's not only perfectly moist, but also glazed with a classic brown sugar glaze, which adds incredible flavor and creates those sought-after caramelized edges. Make it for Easter, Christmas, and everything in between—it's my go-to all year long.

How To Cook A Ham

INGREDIENTS

• Cooked Whole Ham: A fully cooked whole ham (boneless or bone-in) is ideal for this recipe. Since ham is technically already cooked during its curing process, most of the oven time is for heating the large cut all the way through.
• Ham Glaze: I used our classic ham glaze in this recipe—a mixture of brown sugar, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and apple cider. I recommend waiting until the last 45 minutes to start glazing your ham to prevent the sugars in the glaze from burning. When you’re ready to glaze, pull the ham out of the oven, remove the foil, and brush the warm glaze all over it. Return the ham to the oven and continue to cook, brushing on more glaze every 15 minutes. The stickier and more caramelized the ham gets, the better, and this continual glazing will give you maximum glossy results.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Since we’re using a cooked ham here, what we’re really looking for is to warm the ham all the way through and crisp up the skin with our sticky, sweet glaze. To start, preheat the oven and set the ham in a roasting pan. Score the outside of the ham in a crosshatch pattern—taking care not to cut too deep, only about ⅛” to ¼” deep—about ½” apart to allow the glaze to really set in and achieve a deep, golden-brown crust. Cover the whole dish with foil and place the ham into the oven, baking for 2 ½ to 3 hours until warmed all the way through.

Start making the ham glaze with about 45 minutes left in the cooking process. In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together apple cider, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, and apple cider vinegar, and allow the mixture to come up to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium-low and let the glaze simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced in volume by about half, for 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove the foil from the ham and continue to bake, brushing on the glaze every 15 minutes, for 45 minutes more, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the ham reads 140°.

Remove the finished ham from the oven and brush with one more layer of glaze before allowing the ham to rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• How do I prevent drying my ham out? Covering with foil before baking helps to make sure the ham doesn't dry out on the outer layer before the center is warmed through. At the end of the cooking time, use a probe thermometer in the thickest part of the ham to make sure the center has reached at least 125º. The second cook is uncovered so that the glaze has a chance to caramelize on the exterior of the ham and form a sticky crust. It's untraditional, but that caramelized crust is so worth it, you just might not make it any other way after you've tried it.
• How long do I bake the ham? Expect your ham to take about 20 to 25 minutes per pound at 325°. You can use that guide to help adjust your cook time if you buy a smaller or larger ham. If your ham is on the smaller side and only 4 or 5 pounds, you may need as little as 80 minutes to heat it through. We highly recommend using a probe thermometer to check—remove after the first bake when the center of your ham has reached at least 125°, and check again that the ham has reached an internal temperature of 140° after the second uncovered bake.

Ham Variations

This is our go-to guide for a classic baked ham, but if you're looking for alternative glazes or ideas, these are a few of our other favorites:

• Brown Sugar Pineapple Ham: This recipe is totally retro and completely delicious. The cherries and pineapple slices add the perfect sweet touch to a holiday ham.
• Copycat Honey Baked Ham: If this is your all-time favorite ham, then good news—this copycat recipe perfects a homemade version.
• Cherry-Bourbon Glazed Ham: When we're looking for something a little extra special, this cherry-glazed recipe is our go-to.

Serving Ideas

We have plenty of beloved side dishes for ham, but I especially love this served with creamy mashed potatoes, steamed carrots with hot honey butter, fluffy potato rolls, and roasted green beans.

Storage

If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Leftover ham works in countless creative ways: Try making a croque madame for your next brunch, use it to amp up a batch of crescent rolls with our ham and cheese pinwheels, or feast on our cheesy mashed potato and ham bake for a comfort food dream.